Deep Focused Breathing Helped Me Control My Hot Flashes!

The one thing I know about menopause is that the symptoms will come and stay for awhile and then they will either suddenly stop or gradually stop. I also know that they will sometimes return. They can return with the same intensity or increase in intensity. On a personal level I know that stress can intensify them or bring them on again. I know that eating certain foods will cause my hot flashes to come back. As I said in an earlier post, menopause is a process. One that I had to learn by really getting to know what my body responds to. It’s a process that I’ve come to respect and understand over the past few years that I’ve been in menopause.

The first and main thing I had to learn was how to control my hot flashes. And not just the frequency of them, but also the intensity and the longevity. Let me tell you a funny story. I know, me and my stories right?

I was in a job counselor’s office and he was helping me look for jobs that matched my skills set. He needed me to log into my account on his computer. So I had to get up and lean across the desk to access the keyboard. And that’s when a hot flash decided to attack me. And this was a big one too! I knew that it was going to be very intense because of where it started. First I felt a tingling at my lower back. Then I felt the same tingle at the back of my neck. Then the tingles moved up from my lower back and down from my neck and met right in the middle of my back. Then the heat came. It ran from the back of my neck, down my back into my butt, around to the front of my neck, up the sides of my face and into my hair, over my face, down the front of my neck, between and under my breasts, down my belly and below. Then I felt tingles in my arms and the next thing I knew my underarms were wet and my forearms were wet. This all took about a minute.

When it was all done, my blouse was sticking to my body, my hair was plastered to my neck and head and I was dripping with sweat all over my face and this poor man saw all of this and didn’t know what to do! He was sitting there with his mouth open and all I could do was act like nothing happened. I just kept typing my information in but I was truly mortified and embarrassed. The poor man asked me was I ok cause he probably thought I was going to keel over any minute and melt into a puddle right there on his office floor. To top it off I didn’t have a fan or a tissue anywhere on me and neither did he. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!

Later I told a friend about it and she told me that I she heard that if you take deep breaths when a hot flash starts, you could stop it before it begins. Really????!! Oh wow! So now I can’t wait until another one hits me so that I could try it and see for myself. Needless to say it did not work, in fact the more deep breaths I took the hotter I got and what was worse I got extremely dizzy! What my well meaning friend and I didn’t know was that there was a particular way you have to do this breathing in order for it to work.

I went online and did some research, and found a method that sounded like it would really work. It didn’t quite do the trick so I tweaked it until it produced the results I wanted. I call it the Deeva Pilates & Wellness Focused Restorative Hot Flash Relief Breathing Method. Ain’t that a mouthful? This breathing method works very well for relieving hot flashes and literally stopping them in their tracks. This breathing method can be practiced every day, twice a day for 5 minutes. More if you want to. What happens is that soon the frequency of hot flashes will be cut in half. What I noticed was that there will be days before I would experience a hot flash whereas before I started the breathing, I would get 5 or 6 of them in a day. It also helps if you do the breathing at night too. It helps eliminate the night sweats. It helps to alleviate stress and anxiety. It relaxes the body and mind. It lowers blood pressure. It helps digestion. It clears and brightens the skin giving you a healthy glow. And these are just a few of the benefits!

Now, me being me I had to know exactly WHY deep breathing helps control the hot flashes. Apparently it has to do with the hormone imbalance setting our blood pH off kilter and thereby causing our blood to become oxygen deficient. Once that happens we start to sweat because our body temperatures become too hot and we sweat to cool our bodies off. What amazing bodies we have. When we start the deep breathing at the start of a hot flash, we oxygenate the blood and cells, which regulates our carbon dioxide saturation and cools us down faster than just riding out the flash. Constant deep breathing practice helps keep the blood oxygenated throughout the day thereby decreasing the hot flash events and even cutting the intensity of the flash when we do have them. I can say from personal experience that I have definitely gained noticeable relief because there are days, even in the summer that I don’t have a single hot flash. When I do have a flash it’s not nearly as intense as it used to be nor as long. Now I don't have to worry about flashing in some man's office and scaring him silly.

You may be saying to yourself that you don’t have time to sit for 5 or 10 minutes and practice this breathing. But I say yes you do. It’s called Paying Yourself First. You make time for everyone else and you make sure that they are well taken care of. But who will take care of You? You will of course. Remember, breath is life and your life is precious. Honor it by treating yourself like the queen you are and start nurturing yourself today!

By now you must be asking how to do this spectacular breathing method. Here’s a bonus for you. Surprise!!!!!! Click the image below and watch the Breathing For Hot Flash Relief Video! Or follow the instructions written below the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eUdQe8eO4A

Breathing For Hot Flash Relief by Deeva Pilates & Wellness:

This exercise can be done right at the start of a hot flash to stop the severity and length of the flash. You can also practice this breathing method twice daily for 5 or 10 minutes. This will lessen the frequency of the hot flashes too! Ready?

1. Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor and back straight but relaxed. You can also do this standing or lying on your back.

2. Place on hand on your belly. If you like you can also place one hand on your chest.

3. Inhale deeply by pushing your belly out to get the maximum amount of air inside. Let the air flow into your chest. Count to 4.

4. Hold the breath for eight counts.

5. Exhale for 7 counts.

6. Repeat steps for 5 or 10 minutes.

Next Week: Who Says We Can't Sleep During Menopause?

Until then...

Stay Blessed...And Stay WELL!